This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Jump to Section
My Cottage Cheese Alfredo Is So Good!
If you’ve never tried cottage cheese in pasta before, I get it. It sounds a little odd. But once it’s blended, there’s no weird texture, just a velvety sauce that coats your noodles perfectly. I’ve used it in everything from Lasagna with Cottage Cheese to Mac and Cottage Cheese, and it always hits the spot. Give it a shot and see what you think.
Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta Ingredients
- Cottage cheese: I always recommend using whole milk or 4% cottage cheese since that helps create a creamy and rich texture similar to traditional fettuccine Alfredo sauce. Low-fat cottage cheese has too much moisture and not enough fat content to yield the same results.
- Parmesan cheese: Grate the Parmesan from a chunk of cheese if you can! Fresh Parm is the most flavorful and melts better than the pre-grated kind.
- Garlic: Since this is such a simple recipe, using fresh garlic makes a difference!
- Butter: I like to use unsalted butter so I can control how much salt to add.
- Pasta: I love how linguine absorbs the sauce, but any long pasta like fettuccine or even spaghetti will work. And you can also use your favorite gluten-free pasta. Just remember to cook it until al dente to prevent mushy pasta.
- Salt and pepper: Freshly ground black pepper adds a nice zip. But if you have young kids who are sensitive to any kind of spice, feel free to skip it!
- Fresh parsley: I garnish the pasta with some fresh chopped parsley at the end to add herbaceous flavor and color.
Popular Additions
- Add vegetables. Sautee mushrooms and onions in the pan separately, then add to the Alfredo pasta and stir to combine. Or gently stir in 1 cup cooked broccoli to give this pasta dish some veggies.
- Spice it up. The cottage cheese alfredo sauce is a great blank canvas for additional spices. Stir in 1 teaspoon of either Italian seaoning or Cajun seasoning, or drizzle chili oil on top for a kick.
- Have fun with garnishes. In addition to fresh parsley, you can sprinkle red pepper flakes for a touch of heat or add some lemon zest before serving for a burst of freshness. You can also top with toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds for added crunch and flavor.
- Make it a complete meal. Add lemon garlic shrimp, oven-baked chicken, or air fryer salmon to bump up the protein even more and make it a heartier meal.
How to Make Cottage Cheese Pasta Alfredo
My Best Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta Tips
- Bring the butter to room temperature. Softened butter is much easier to blend into the sauce.
- Reserve pasta water before draining the pasta. The starch in pasta water helps to emulsify the sauce, making it stick to the pasta better.
- Control the consistency of the sauce. You can adjust the thickness of the sauce by adding more reserved pasta water. Add a little at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
- Warm the sauce gently. When adding the sauce to the pasta, heat it gently over low heat and stir constantly to prevent it from separating or curdling.
- Cook your pasta until just al dente. You want your pasta to soak up some of the sauce without getting overcooked. Al dente is perfect for Alfredo!
Serving Ideas
More Cottage Cheese Recipes:
- Creamy Tomato Cottage Cheese Pasta
- Roasted Cherry Tomato Pasta
- Pasta in Yogurt Sauce
- Creamy Roasted Red Pepper Pasta
- Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- Creamy Vegan Cashew Tomato Pasta
- Broccoli Chicken Alfredo
- Creamy Pumpkin Pasta
- Creamy Butternut Squash Pasta
- Baked Feta Pasta
If you try this Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta recipe or any other recipe on Feel Good Foodie, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and leave a comment below! It helps others who are thinking of making the recipe. We would love to hear about your experience making it. And if you snapped some shots, share it on Instagram so we can repost on Stories!
Cottage Cheese Alfredo Pasta Recipe
This 5-ingredient Cottage Cheese Alfredo is so creamy and easy to make! It's great as a vegetarian dinner, or paired with chicken or salmon.
Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups cottage cheese 4% fat
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 garlic clove
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more for cooking pasta
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 pound linguine
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley optional
- Grated Parmesan cheese optional, for serving
Instructions
- Add cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, butter, garlic, salt and pepper to a high speed blender and process until smooth to create an alfredo-like sauce.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the linguine and cook until al dente according to package directions.
- Drain the pasta, but reserve about 1 cup of the cooking liquid. Return the pasta to the pot and add ‘Alfredo’ sauce and about ½ cup of the pasta water. Set over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce is warmed and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 3 minutes.
- Remove from heat and garnish with parsley and grated Parmesan cheese, if desired, before serving.
Notes
Storage: Store leftover cottage cheese pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating Instructions: To reheat, add a splash of milk, pasta water (if you have any), or plain water to the bottom of a saucepan. Add the pasta and stir gently to loosen it up. Reheat on low heat, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is heated through. You can also reheat in a microwave in short intervals, stirring in between, until the pasta is heated through.
Nutrition
Calories: 329kcal, Carbohydrates: 45g, Protein: 16g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Sodium: 489mg, Potassium: 202mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 411IU, Vitamin C: 3mg, Calcium: 107mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It will vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
Diet: Vegetarian
Cuisine American
I was really looking forward to this and followed directions to a tee but it was an epic fail. The sauce didn’t stay thick or stick to pasta at all it separated and went watery and the stove was low.
So sorry it didn’t turn out how you had hoped, Danielle. There are two reasons your sauce may have separated. Did you make sure to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese and add pasta water?
Hi Yumna, yes I did use freshly grated parmesan and I did add pasta water. Nevermind, there are other recipes on here I would like to try. Thanks
Hmm, it sounds like your sauce didn’t emulsify properly but I’m not sure why. Did you use low-fat cottage cheese?